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Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Home office in a closet

The playroom closet just wasn't cutting it. Most of the time, it was a less than organized catch all. We'll call this the "before" photo:

Even organized, it wasn't doing much for me. Here's where we keep our craft & project supplies, medicine balls & free weights, board games, extra running shoes, a few hanging jackets, my massage table, bike pump, Nerf guns, yoga mats, soft serve ice cream maker I've used one time...I really wanted a space where the kids could sit and do homework- away from the TV, away from my kitchen counter. How about making the closet into a home office? I started dreaming up the project.

The first thing I did was remove the door. It really opened the space. Then, I cleared everything out to construct a lower shelf to match the 11" upper shelf and an 18" L-shaped desktop using 3/4" plywood and 1x4s.I wanted to add photo/book ledges on the empty wall next to the desk.They are floating shelves made with 1x4s and screwed into the wall with a piece of trim nailed to the front- creating a small lip so the books and photos don't fall forward/off. I also removed the hanging bar brackets so I could add a curtain to hide items (like board games) placed on the lower shelf.The seams of the L shape desk were caulked and seamless. Next, everything got a fresh coat of flat white paint. The shelves and desktop got an extra coat of semi-gloss paint.I gave my mom the measurements for the curtain and she whipped it right up for me:The photo/book ledges seem to be ever changing. Frames and books move around. Everything is in its place and the kids both have homework desk space!

It is exactly what I had envisioned.

There are a few more projects associated with this closet remodel that I'll link below when completed: